Easy–Moderate · 1.5–2 hours
Gooseberry Mesa — White Trail
The gateway ride. Painted white dots across a 5,200-ft slickrock mesa to a 360° view of Zion.
On Two Wheels
Gooseberry Mesa — The Big Loop
The full circumnavigation — playful slickrock domes, drop-ins, and the famously photogenic Hidden Canyon overlook.
Photo: Iris Picat / BLM · CC BY 2.0
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Duration
- 3–5 hours
- From the lodge
- ~30 min
- Type
- MTB · slickrock technical
If the White Trail is the gateway, the Big Loop is the reason mountain bikers fly across the country to ride Gooseberry. Twelve to fourteen miles strung together from the Hidden Canyon Trail, the Slickrock connector, and the South Rim ribbon — playful slickrock domes you can roll for hours, optional drop-ins for the technically inclined, and the photogenic Hidden Canyon overlook where the mesa drops 800 feet into a private red-rock amphitheater.
This is intermediate-to-expert terrain. There are double-black sections you can roll around without losing the loop, but the rewards scale with skill — a confident rider in clean conditions will giggle for four hours straight. A nervous rider will hike-a-bike through the same sections and resent every minute.
Get your tire pressure right (24-28 PSI front, 26-30 rear is the slickrock sweet spot), bring more water than you think you need (none on the mesa), and budget time to roll out the South Rim spur at sunset. The Hurricane Cliffs glow vermilion for about ten minutes; that's the photo.
Before you go
- Slickrock is grippy when dry, lethal when wet — never ride after rain
- The double-black drop-ins are no-fall zones; walk what you can't ride confidently
- Cell service is patchy on the mesa — share your route before heading out
- Hidden Canyon overlook has unprotected exposure at the rim
Pair it with
← Back to all experiences 
Hard · 4–6 hours
Little Creek Mesa
Gooseberry's wilder cousin. Cairn-only navigation, optional rock rollers, 360° views from the rim.
Easy–Moderate · 1.5–2.5 hours
Wire Mesa Loop
7.4 miles of panoramic slickrock with Zion across the valley. The closest trail to your front door.
Easy–Moderate · 1.5–2.5 hours
J.E.M. Trail
The fast and fun desert cruiser. Flowing singletrack along Virgin River cliffs, optional 100-ft JEM Drop.
Ready for your gooseberry mesa day?
Book your cabin and discover the area at your own pace. The trails start at the door.